Toronto Maple Leafs goalie James Reimer eyes the puck while playing against the Boston Bruins during second period NHL hockey playoff action in Toronto on Sunday, May 12, 2013. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette)— AP

Toronto Maple Leafs goalie James Reimer eyes the puck while playing against the Boston Bruins during second period NHL hockey playoff action in Toronto on Sunday, May 12, 2013. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette)
/ AP

Boston Bruins goalie Tuuka Rask makes a save while playing against the Toronto Maple Leafs during second period NHL hockey playoff action in Toronto on Sunday, May 12, 2013. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette)— AP

Boston Bruins goalie Tuuka Rask makes a save while playing against the Toronto Maple Leafs during second period NHL hockey playoff action in Toronto on Sunday, May 12, 2013. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette)
/ AP

Boston Bruins players leave the ice as Toronto Maple Leafs fans cheers after the Maple Leafs defeated the Bruins to force a game seven during third period NHL hockey playoff action in Toronto on Sunday, May 12, 2013. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette)— AP

Boston Bruins players leave the ice as Toronto Maple Leafs fans cheers after the Maple Leafs defeated the Bruins to force a game seven during third period NHL hockey playoff action in Toronto on Sunday, May 12, 2013. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette)
/ AP

CORRECTS TO GAME 6Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender James Reimer makes a diving save on the Boston Bruins during the third period of Game 6 first-round NHL hockey playoff series in Toronto on Sunday, May 12, 2013. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)— AP

CORRECTS TO GAME 6Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender James Reimer makes a diving save on the Boston Bruins during the third period of Game 6 first-round NHL hockey playoff series in Toronto on Sunday, May 12, 2013. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)
/ AP

TORONTO 
The Toronto Maple Leafs are close to making playoff history.

Captain Dion Phaneuf and Phil Kessel scored third-period goals and the Toronto Maple Leafs edged the Boston Bruins 2-1 Sunday to send their playoff series back to Boston for Game 7.

Game 7 is Monday night in Boston. The winner will play the winner of the New York Rangers and the Washington Capitals series. That series is also tied 3-3 with Game 7 on Monday night.

The Maple Leafs, making their return to the postseason for the first time since 2004, became the 48th team in Stanley Cup history to rally from a 3-1 deficit to force Game 7.

The only time Toronto has come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a series was the 1942 Stanley Cup finals against the Detroit Red Wings when the Leafs trailed 3-0 before reeling off four straight wins.

Sunday's win also snapped a 54-year stretch of home playoff failure against the Bruins.

Toronto's previous home playoff win against Boston was March 31, 1959, when the Leafs won 3-2 in overtime. Nine straight postseason home losses followed in the decades since.

Milan Lucic scored for Boston with 26 seconds left in the third.

Boston coach Claude Julien was critical of his team's puck management and decision-making.

"We've been a Jekyll-and-Hyde hockey team all year and that's what you're seeing right now," he said. "I think it's important to us to bring the good Bruins team to the table for Game 7."

A loss on Monday and Boston, Stanley Cup winners in 2011, will exit in the seventh game of the first round for the second year in a row.

"We know we're going to go into a hostile building (Monday) night in Boston," Toronto coach Randy Carlyle said. "We know the passion in their market and their fans. We've been there already, we know what we're heading to and we just have to make sure that we play the game to a higher level than we did tonight. Because we know they will."

As if the Bruins did not have enough problems in Toronto, their plane broke down.

"Late during tonight's game we were made aware that there was a malfunction with our airplane," Boston GM Peter Chiarelli said in a statement. "As a result we are staying in Toronto on Sunday night and the team will travel to Boston on Monday morning."

The Maple Leafs have momentum after two consecutive wins.

"They're a good team," Boston forward Patrice Bergeron said. "We never said it was going to be an easy series. Here we are now and it's all about one game. Whatever happened in the first six games doesn't matter. It's all about showing up (Monday)."

James Reimer was again steady in the Toronto net, making 29 saves to earn the win. Tuukka Rask finished with 24 stops in the Boston goal.

"If you only score one goal, a lot of times you end up on the wrong side, Bruins defenseman Dennis Seidenberg said. "Tonight, we just didn't score enough to win."